NH 66 paralysed as trailor falls on side at Poinguinim

TNN | Updated: Feb 6, 2019, 10:09 IST

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POINGUINIM/CANACONA: A Gujarat-registered trailor carrying power generators fell on its side at Gimone, Poinguinim, at 5am on Tuesday, paralysing traffic on NH 66 for over four hours and affecting several students and office-goers. Its driver, Sandeep Kumar of Uttar Pradesh, escaped unhurt. The mishap occurred after the trailor, which was proceeding to Kerala, dashed against a tree while Kumar was negotiating a sharp turn. Canacona police said Kumar was blinded by the headlights of oncoming vehicles. Following the accident, light motor vehicles had to be diverted via Poinguinim to Galgibaga and via Talpona-Sadolxem to Ardhofond. Around 19 passenger buses coming in from Bengaluru, Mangaluru and other areas were stranded on either side of the trailor together with 240 other heavy vehicles.

At around 9.30am, Canacona police roped in earth-moving machinery operators and cleared a part of the road. Traffic PI Gautam Salunke said the Gimone route also caters to heavy traffic that has been diverted from the Anmod Ghat due to ongoing work there. “The Margao-Karwar highway is narrow and many of the bridges and culverts on it date back to the Portuguese era. The flow of heavy vehicles has caused several accidents on this route,” social worker Ajit Poinguinkar, said.